There are plenty of players who have seen success both on and off the court but few have done it as well as George Tinsley. At Kentucky Wesleyan he was named a D-2 All-American for 2 years in a row and won 3 NCAA D-2 titles in a 4-year span from 1966-1969. After retiring from basketball he became a big-time businessman with Kentucky Fried Chicken and served as president of the National Basketball Retired Players Association. HoopsHD’s Jon Teitel got to chat with George about coaching Tracy McGrady and the secret of his business success. Today is George’s 75th birthday so let us be the 1st to wish him a happy 1!
You were a 2-time All-American at Kentucky Wesleyan where you won D-2 national titles in 1966/1968/1969 and finished 3rd in 1967: how were you able to be so dominant during your entire college career? Our team chemistry and work ethic during my freshman year were great. We had great leadership from both coaches and key talented players: most were from Louisville and had played together at Male High School. The team had a fairly good roster the year before I arrived and we also had some good junior college transfers (including a former star from the University of Louisville) who started the same year that I did. We were a really good defensive team, which propelled us to our 1st championship: we kept games close and then made the right decisions in closing teams out. We beat some great teams in the NCAA tourney my freshman year featuring future Hall of Famers like Walt Frazier/Phil Jackson/Earl Monroe. The championship site was in Evansville, IN, which was only 1 hour from home: it was like having a home game during a tournament! The next year as a sophomore when we finished in 3rd place was probably our best team since we had so much talent returning, but we were a little burnt out due to traveling abroad in Africa the entire previous summer and then coming right back into the school year without any down time. We represented the US as Ambassadors of Basketball. I always joke with my teammates that I played 4 years in the finals and never lost a game, given that the only game we did lose was when I was sick and unable to play (Earl Monroe’s Winston-Salem team beat us that year).
In 1968 you were an alternate for the US Olympic team: how close did you come to making the final roster? I came very close to making the team but busted up my ankle in the final round after averaging about 30 PPG. There had never been a D-2 player to make the Olympic team at that point.
As a senior you scored a career-high 43 PTS against Gannon University: was it just 1 of those scenarios where every shot you put up seemed to go in because you were “in the zone”? Yes: the first half was like throwing the ball into the ocean. Our trainers got excited at halftime, as did our fans, so I got a little too pumped up in the 2nd half after scoring about 35 PTS by halftime. I rushed too many shots and once we got a comfortable lead the coach took me out. My shooting improved each year but teams began to play more zone defense, double-team me, and even use a box-and-1. The wins were more important than the individual stats. I still play the game today in my 70s: a few years ago I was part of the team that won a gold medal in the 65-69 age group at the Senior World FIMBA Basketball Championship Games!
You were named tourney Most Outstanding Player at the 1969 tourney: how were you able to play your best when it mattered the most? I think my role and contribution to the team in my senior year, given that we won the championship game, all contributed to being named MOP. I had tied for the MOP the previous year when we won the title. My combined defense on our opponent’s best player, offensive contribution, and leadership were all contributing factors in being named MOP (as well as 1st-team All-American).
You remain the all-time leading rebounder in school history: what is the key to being a great rebounder, and do you think that anyone will ever break your record? Records are made to be broken but it helps when you start for 4 straight years. I played center in high school and therefore rebounding was natural for me. I was fundamentally sound, a good leaper, and very active on the boards. It was hard to block me out: I was sort of a small Moses Malone before his time.
You were the 1st African-American athlete to graduate from your alma mater: how big a deal was it at the time? It was a big deal because it was an embarrassment that it had not happened previously. I was also the first African-American athlete to win the prestigious Oak & Ivy Award at Kentucky Wesleyan, which is the highest honor on campus. It is presented to 6 students who best exhibit spiritual leadership, intellectual ability, strength of character, dedication of purpose, and devotion to Christian ideals in seeking to promote the interests and welfare of the college on campus. Campus life was important to me: I began dating my wife there and was recruited by a Jewish fraternity (Sigma Alpha Mu, whose alumni include David Stern/Dave Bing/Danny Schayes). I was also the 1st African-American to be named “King of the Campus” and my wife was the Queen. It was probably the greatest time of my life where my self-esteem grew tremendously. Some of my other accolades include: being the 1st former athlete/African-American to give a commencement speech (while receiving an honorary PHD for humanities in 2010), being voted the #1 basketball player in school history twice by the fans/students/faculty, being inducted into the school’s Alumni Hall of Fame/Athletic Hall of Fame, and serving on the KWC Board of Directors for 10 years.
After graduating in 1969 you were selected by Chicago in the NBA draft and by Oakland in the ABA draft: what made you choose the ABA, and do you have any regrets? I chose the ABA because they were offering me a bonus and I did not have to attend several tryouts prior to camp. The NBA had several camps that players had to go through and the risk of injury to my ankle was not attractive. Additionally, they were not talking about a lot of money for a 6th round pick at that time. The Bulls had a pretty solid team with great players like Jerry Sloan/Clem Haskins/Bob Love/Tom Boerwinkle/Chet Walker so it did not seem like I would have a good chance to play a lot of minutes there. Oakland had just won a title but the opportunity looked better there. As soon as I signed with the Oaks they moved to Washington, DC, and I ended up joining the Washington Caps of the ABA. The ABA was unstable and they were trying to figure out how to get butts in seats: therefore, if you were not a local name then you were expendable. I was traded to Kentucky where I had played high school/college basketball. Later I played with the Miami Floridians (not the Heat) and the New York (now Brooklyn) Nets.
After retiring you took a job with Kentucky Fried Chicken as a training instructor and your family business now owns more than 70 different franchises: what is the best advice you have for people who want to acquire a franchise? I 1st became a teacher/coach where we won a state title thanks to a future Hall of Fame player named Darrell Griffith and his great supporting cast. I also coached with Wade Houston, who was later head coach at Louisville/Tennessee. I wanted to become a head coach in college, but due to having just gotten married and starting to raise a family I had to earn a living immediately (which teaching and coaching could not provide salary-wise). I decided to join the FBI, but before I signed on the dotted line and got sent to Quantico I changed my mind and took a job with KFC as a training instructor since I had a good background as a teacher/coach. I actually taught the basic management skills class with Colonel Harland Sanders himself for several years:
(photo credit: athletesquarterly.com)
I later worked in other key positions prior to getting the opportunity to become a KFC franchisee. I opened my 1st KFC restaurant in Florida more than 3 decades ago. We had the #1 KFC store in the US based on town-size for several years and grew to 12 KFC stores during that period. Almost 25 years ago we opened our 1st TGI Friday’s franchise in Tampa…and it became the #1 TGIF location in America for 9 straight years. My advice to anyone is to do your due diligence prior to getting involved in any business, whether or not it is a franchise. I think that being a franchisee is a great way to get into the business but you need to know the franchisor’s system for doing business. You also need to be a hands-on owner to understand the business deeply. You certainly can delegate or develop an infrastructure to have your team manage it later…after you know it thoroughly yourself. You have to understand your business model to maximize your opportunities for success. I speak to former athletes all the time about the dos and don’ts of the business.
You had several great players on your team when you were an AAU basketball coach: could you tell back when he was a teenager that Tracy McGrady was going to become a Hall of Famer? No. I coached him as a 9-10 year old and he was good at many other sports that he participated in: he did everything fairly easily because it came so naturally to him. Darrell had a certain flair even back in the 8th grade because he was so superior to everyone else in terms of jumping/shooting. He only played basketball even though he had the talent to play other sports. Tracy left the area and went off to North Carolina as a high school junior and expanded his skill set by playing against much better competition. I thought he deserved to be a 1st-ballot Hall of Famer: he was a much better player than people gave him credit for due to his back injuries and several other challenges that he faced. I also coached Jack Givens in high school (before he was named 1978 NCAA tourney MOP) and I thought that he would have a nice long NBA career: he was a great player as well.
You previously served as president of the National Basketball Retired Players Association: why did you take the job, and what were you able to accomplish? I was voted into the position by the Board of Directors. I reluctantly joined the board the prior year as treasurer after being talked into it by Buck Williams/Charles Smith. I was probably the only guy on the board who did not actually play in the NBA, but co-founder Archie Clark, Buck Williams, Jaleesa Hazzard (wife of Walt), Mack Calvin, and others spent a lot of time encouraging me to become involved. They saw an opportunity to enhance the credibility of the organization: I concurred, and the rest was history. In retrospect I think that a guy should be on the board for at least a couple of years so he can understand what is going on with the board and the NBRPA community, as well as understand how the NBRPA/NBA/NBPA relationships work, prior to running for the position of Chair. It then takes at least 2 years to accomplish your objectives. NBRPA former president/CEO Arnie Fielkow was certainly a major part of taking the organization to a higher level, along with the dedicated work of the Board of Directors. The NBRPA is a fraternity of individuals who have played the game at its highest level. We are individuals who are very competitive and have traveled various roads during our playing days, both together as well as against each other. The organization was built on the backs and labor of the founders and prior players who come from a different era of the game. Every guy who served on the NBRPA board deserves a big pat on the back for anywhere from 3-6 years of dedicated hard work and very little reward. They have always had the right intention of making things better for the NBRPA community: we are proud both of where we are now and where we are headed.
